Service-learning practices that increase civic engagement
Deborah Slosberg, Local Community Service-Learning Coordinator, University of Maryland - College Park [slosberg@umd.edu]
Keywords: Sustained civic engagement, best practices, case study, interviews, post graduation
Summary
This research addresses high-impact service-learning practices that participants identified as having led to their increased level of civic engagement post-graduation. I will discuss my methodology and the six practices that stood out, including leadership responsibilities and a desire for continued engagement and reflection.
I conducted a qualitative multi-case case study through semi-structured interviews with four participants from three programs at the University of Michigan. Three of the participants each represented one program, and the final participant was an alumnus of all three programs.
I concluded that there were six practices that participants identified as having led to their increased levels of civic engagement post-graduation: 1) reflection and critical thinking, 2) community service, 3) community building, 4) interactions with people different from themselves, 5) leadership responsibilities, and 6) a desire for continued engagement and reflection. Some of these findings lead to obvious implications such as incorporate service-learning into both curricular and co-curricular activities and help groups form relational bonds.
Implications for practitioners regarding reflection and critical thought include engaging students in discussions that go deeper than simply surface level. Another implication is to have conversations with students on values congruence and continuing to be congruent with their values after graduation. I found implications that creating purposefully diverse communities would increase opportunities for individuals to interact with those different from themselves and tie those interactions back into their praxis through reflection. Finally, there are implications for leadership and for sustained engagement and reflection as practitioners find ways for students to continue to reflect during their time as undergraduate students and alumni to continue this reflection process after graduation.
References
Astin, A. W., Vogelgesang, L. J., Ikeda, E. K., Yee, J. A., & Higher Education Research Inst., I. A. (2000). How Service Learning Affects Students. Retrieved from http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/PDFs/HSLAS/HSLAS.PDF
Astin, A. W., Vogelgesang, L. J., Misa, K., Anderson, J., Denson, N., Jayakumar, U., Saenz, V., & Yamamura, E. (2006). Understanding the effects of service-learning: A study of students and faculty. Los Angeles, CA: The Higher Education Research Institute Graduate School of Education and Information Studies University of California. Retrieved from http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/PDFs/pubs/reports/UnderstandingTheEffectsOfServiceLearning_FinalReport.pdf
Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (2009). Innovative practices in service-learning and curricular engagement. New Directions For Higher Education, (147), 37–46
Brownell, J. E., & Swaner, L. E. (2009). High-impact practices: Applying the learning outcomes literature to the development of successful campus programs. Peer Review, 11(2), 26–30. Retrieved from http://aacu.org/peerreview/
Chickering, A. W., & Reisser, L. (1993). Education and identity (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Cress, C. M., Collier, P. J., Reitenauer, V. L., & Associates (2005). Learning through serving: A student guidebook for service-learning across the disciplines. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Eyler, J., & Giles, D. E. (1999). Where’s the learning in service-learning? San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Freire, P. (2003). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M. B. Ramos, Trans.). New York, NY: The Continuum International Publishing Group (Original work published in 1970).
Hamrick, F. A., Evans, N. J., & Schuh, J. H. (2002). Foundations of student affairs practice: How philosophy, theory, and research strengthen educational outcomes. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Howard, J. (2001). Service-learning course design workbook. Ann Arbor, MI: OCSL Press.
Jacoby, B. & Associates. (2009). Civic engagement in higher education: Concepts and practices. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Jovanovic, S. (2003). Communication as critical inquiry in service-learning. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(2), 81–85.
Kendall, J. C., & Associates. (1990). Combining service and learning: A resource book for community and public service (Vol. 1). Raleigh, NC: National Society for Internships and Experiential Education.
Kendall, J. C. (1991). Principles of good practice in combining service and learning. Journal of cooperative education, 27(2), 93–98.
Kuh, G. D. (2008). High impact practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Mabry, J. B. (1998). Pedagogical variations in service-learning and student outcomes: How time, contact, and reflection matter. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 5(1), 32–47.
Monard-Weissman, K. (2003). Fostering a sense of justice through international service-learning. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(2), 164–169.
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators & American College Personnel Association. (2004). Learning reconsidered: A campus-wide focus on the student experience. Washington, DC: Authors. Retrieved from http://wwwmyacpa.org/pub/pub_books_services.cfm
Stanton, T. K., Giles, D. E. Jr., Cruz, N. I. (1999). Service-learning: A movement’s pioneers reflect on its origins, practice, and future. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Weisskirch, R. S. (2003). Analyzing student journals in a service-learning course. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(2), 141–145.
Yin, R. K. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
To access materials from this session please click on the file link(s) below:
Deborah Slosberg, Local Community Service-Learning Coordinator, University of Maryland - College Park [slosberg@umd.edu]
Keywords: Sustained civic engagement, best practices, case study, interviews, post graduation
Conference track: Higher education student outcomes
Format: Poster presentation
Summary
This research addresses high-impact service-learning practices that participants identified as having led to their increased level of civic engagement post-graduation. I will discuss my methodology and the six practices that stood out, including leadership responsibilities and a desire for continued engagement and reflection.
I conducted a qualitative multi-case case study through semi-structured interviews with four participants from three programs at the University of Michigan. Three of the participants each represented one program, and the final participant was an alumnus of all three programs.
I concluded that there were six practices that participants identified as having led to their increased levels of civic engagement post-graduation: 1) reflection and critical thinking, 2) community service, 3) community building, 4) interactions with people different from themselves, 5) leadership responsibilities, and 6) a desire for continued engagement and reflection. Some of these findings lead to obvious implications such as incorporate service-learning into both curricular and co-curricular activities and help groups form relational bonds.
Implications for practitioners regarding reflection and critical thought include engaging students in discussions that go deeper than simply surface level. Another implication is to have conversations with students on values congruence and continuing to be congruent with their values after graduation. I found implications that creating purposefully diverse communities would increase opportunities for individuals to interact with those different from themselves and tie those interactions back into their praxis through reflection. Finally, there are implications for leadership and for sustained engagement and reflection as practitioners find ways for students to continue to reflect during their time as undergraduate students and alumni to continue this reflection process after graduation.
References
Astin, A. W., Vogelgesang, L. J., Ikeda, E. K., Yee, J. A., & Higher Education Research Inst., I. A. (2000). How Service Learning Affects Students. Retrieved from http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/PDFs/HSLAS/HSLAS.PDF
Astin, A. W., Vogelgesang, L. J., Misa, K., Anderson, J., Denson, N., Jayakumar, U., Saenz, V., & Yamamura, E. (2006). Understanding the effects of service-learning: A study of students and faculty. Los Angeles, CA: The Higher Education Research Institute Graduate School of Education and Information Studies University of California. Retrieved from http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri/PDFs/pubs/reports/UnderstandingTheEffectsOfServiceLearning_FinalReport.pdf
Bringle, R. G., & Hatcher, J. A. (2009). Innovative practices in service-learning and curricular engagement. New Directions For Higher Education, (147), 37–46
Brownell, J. E., & Swaner, L. E. (2009). High-impact practices: Applying the learning outcomes literature to the development of successful campus programs. Peer Review, 11(2), 26–30. Retrieved from http://aacu.org/peerreview/
Chickering, A. W., & Reisser, L. (1993). Education and identity (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Cress, C. M., Collier, P. J., Reitenauer, V. L., & Associates (2005). Learning through serving: A student guidebook for service-learning across the disciplines. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Eyler, J., & Giles, D. E. (1999). Where’s the learning in service-learning? San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Freire, P. (2003). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M. B. Ramos, Trans.). New York, NY: The Continuum International Publishing Group (Original work published in 1970).
Hamrick, F. A., Evans, N. J., & Schuh, J. H. (2002). Foundations of student affairs practice: How philosophy, theory, and research strengthen educational outcomes. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Howard, J. (2001). Service-learning course design workbook. Ann Arbor, MI: OCSL Press.
Jacoby, B. & Associates. (2009). Civic engagement in higher education: Concepts and practices. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Jovanovic, S. (2003). Communication as critical inquiry in service-learning. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(2), 81–85.
Kendall, J. C., & Associates. (1990). Combining service and learning: A resource book for community and public service (Vol. 1). Raleigh, NC: National Society for Internships and Experiential Education.
Kendall, J. C. (1991). Principles of good practice in combining service and learning. Journal of cooperative education, 27(2), 93–98.
Kuh, G. D. (2008). High impact practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Mabry, J. B. (1998). Pedagogical variations in service-learning and student outcomes: How time, contact, and reflection matter. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 5(1), 32–47.
Monard-Weissman, K. (2003). Fostering a sense of justice through international service-learning. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(2), 164–169.
National Association of Student Personnel Administrators & American College Personnel Association. (2004). Learning reconsidered: A campus-wide focus on the student experience. Washington, DC: Authors. Retrieved from http://wwwmyacpa.org/pub/pub_books_services.cfm
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. (2012). Historical timeline. Retrieved from: http://www.servicelearning.org/what_is_service-learning/history/index.php
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. (2012). What is service-learning? Retrieved from: http://www.servicelearning.org/what-service-learning
Pascarella, E. T., Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research (Vol. 2). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Perry, W. G., Jr. (1968). Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college years. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
Seifer, S. D., & Connors, K. (2007). Faculty toolkit for service-learning in higher education. Scotts Valley, CA: National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. Retrieved from http://www.servicelearning.org/filemanager/download/HE_toolkit_with_worksheets.pdf
Stanton, T. K., Giles, D. E. Jr., Cruz, N. I. (1999). Service-learning: A movement’s pioneers reflect on its origins, practice, and future. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Weisskirch, R. S. (2003). Analyzing student journals in a service-learning course. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7(2), 141–145.
Yin, R. K. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
To access materials from this session please click on the file link(s) below: